Investigators seek cause of chicken farm fire

Bozrah — Fire investigators are trying to determine what caused a massive fire that destroyed a 300-foot-long unoccupied chicken coop at the Kofkoff Egg Farm late Thursday night.

Bozrah Fire Lt. John Way said the fire was reported around 11:50 p.m.
When fire crews got there, the 50- by 300-foot structure was fully engulfed.

The fire, he said, was contained to the structure and because it was not near any other buildings it did not pose a risk to other business operations. It was under control by 4:30 a.m.

Way said the state Department of Environmental Protection was called to the scene as a precaution. He said he did not know what was stored in the building.

Dennis Schain, a DEP spokesman, said an emergency response team was called to the scene, which is common practice when there is a massive fire.

He said they were working with an environmental contractor hired by the company to properly secure insecticide containers that were stored in the building.

He said DEP responders were also helping firefighters and the contractors manage the run-off of water used to fight the fire, ensuring that it did not spread to nearby waterways.

There were no fire hydrants near the property and tanker trucks raced up and down the road to bring in water. The trucks used a nearby stream and opened a fire hydrant at the Fields Memorial School for the water supply.

Firefighters fought the fire in single-digit temperatures. Way said state and town crews salted the road as it kept freezing over. He said there were no other weather-related issues.

No injuries were reported. The coop has collapsed. Fire crews remain on the scene this morning monitoring the situation.

Authorities say a tractor-trailer driver who was passing by the farm reported the fire.

The Bozrah Fire Department returned to its station at 8 this morning. In addittion to Bozrah, a Mohegan FAST team, Salem, Gardner Lake, Yantic, Colchester, Baltic, Lebanon, East Great Plain, Lisbon, Griswold and Oakdale fire departments responded.


The farm is owned by Moark. Company officials could not be reached for comment.